I'll Do It Tomorrow

It took more than ten years to find those ten minutes.

There was really nothing at all special about them. They were not 24k gold, not platinum, and decidedly not sentimental. I had purchased them at SYMS about 15 years ago, and probably paid less than 12 dollars for them.

They were fake gold with a cheesy-looking black hexagram on the end of each of them. And you know what? I liked them. They just sat in my closet, near my socks, in an old rectangular box that they called "home." Roommates of the cuff links included assorted plastic collar stays, a couple of Canadian coins, an old, non-functioning, cap-less blue Papermate, and two other pairs of cheap cufflinks – cousins, I guess.

One of them was broken. That hexagram thingy had separated from its base. I don't remember exactly when that happened, but it was definitely more than ten years ago. And practically every morning, for ten plus years, when I was choosing my socks or snatching some collar stays, the broken cufflink would speak to me.

"When are you going to fix me?"

"Why aren't you fixing me?"

"Don't you like me anymore?"

The questions were valid. And I had no answers. I did still like my hexagram cufflinks every bit as much as the day I bought them. And I wished that they were operational. I really did. But I just never seemed to find the time to locate the Krazy Glue and actually repair them. And it's not like I wear cufflinks every day, I reasoned, just once in awhile. So they remained on the accessory "disabled list."

VERTICAL CHALLENGE

All my windows on my first floor are clothed with vertical blinds. We got them as soon as we moved in about 13 years ago. I say ‘clothed' and not ‘covered' because ‘covered' might be considered a bit of a stretch. Oh, the windows used to be covered by the vertical blinds, but through the years when our living room, dining room and kitchen were transformed by our kids and grandkids into a combo skating rink, Maple Lanes, and Shea Stadium, the spaces in the blinds became rather ...er... pronounced.

Being dutiful and responsible homeowners, my wife and I often declared our definite intention to one day remedy the window situation. We even went so far as to actually save the fallen slats...usually. Some of them went into a closet, others accumulated on the fractured window sills, while a couple of them were kind of propped up in their rightful place – as if no one would notice that they were unattached to the track and drooping many inches below the other fellow slats. As you know, these are the kind of things you notice for the first day or two, but soon after you get so used to it they don't even seem odd anymore.

One day, a friend showed me a remarkable little invention. They make little plastic pieces that slide over the tops of the slats, thereby replacing the broken slot with a new functional one.

"How much do they cost?" I inquired.

"About a buck," he said. "And you can get them all over town."

Well that sounded like a fabulous solution to our little problem, so I made a mental note to pick up a few at my earliest convenience. Meanwhile, the blinds also remained injured and on the decorative "disabled list."

MY SPEAKERS

I happen to be a real music lover. If only I had more time, I'd certainly sit down and really listen to more music. But I am limited to the short stints I have in the car and the background strains that fill the home while I busy myself with other important matters.

I do not own a sophisticated, high-tech, high-fidelity, electro-acoustic transducer, 20,000 watt, sub-woofer audio system. I have an AIWA. It costs a few hundred dollars, it has a few different settings, it looks shiny, and it works... sort of.

A while back, I noticed that something didn't quite sound right. The music sounded limp and tinny. If I raised the volume enough, it helped a bit. And it bothered me every single time I popped in a CD.

One day, I actually climbed up on a chair and discovered that music was only coming out of the two small, secondary speakers, and not from the two primary ones.

The connector plugs had apparently become dislodged from the back of the unit when I moved the furniture to retrieve something. I just needed to re-insert them.

That was about four years ago.

So there I was, walking down 16th Avenue just a few weeks ago, when I happened to find myself in front of a drapery and blinds store. Out of nowhere, the image of my victimized vertical slats at home appeared. I entered.

"Do you have those little plastic gizmos that slide over the top...?"

"They're a buck a piece. How many do you want?" he interrupted, reaching into a huge stash of them.

"I'll take a dozen," I gushed.

I never rushed home so fast in my life. I burst in the door like we had won the Connecticut Powerball Lottery. The family crowded around.

"Look!" I shrieked, pulling the gizmos out of a bag. "I can fix the blinds now!"

They may have been a trifle disappointed.

I grabbed the stepladder and went to work. Less than five minutes later, the windows were totally transformed from pitiful to perfect, from the disabled list to the All-Star team. I walked around the house, beaming. The pride and satisfaction that I felt at that moment was down right...well... pathetic. But it felt like an incredible accomplishment.

Thrilled with this ridiculous sense of fulfillment and buoyed by my newfound vitality, I sprung into action. Like a gladiator transported from the Gaelic era, I galloped into the dining room and stood face to face with the task that lay before me – the 200 pound furniture piece that housed my wounded AIWA. No problem. A couple of deep breaths and one slightly pulled shoulder muscle later, I discovered the loose connector wires, re-inserted them, pushed the unit back into place, and flipped in an old Yanni CD. He never sounded better. Total time investment? About two minutes.

But the rally wasn't over yet. There still awaited one final undertaking – the broken cufflink. I won't keep you in suspense. The Krazy Glue was laying patiently in my toolbox. I applied about four drops of the supercharged stuff on the long-humbled hexagram and seconds later VOILA! And they became one flesh!

It was an unpredictable and, for me, monumental turn of events.

It is hard to adequately describe the relief, the sheer joy, and the sense of achievement that I felt from the resolution of these insignificant, undistinguished, and trivial nuisances. Moreover, the effects of this temporary lapse into responsibility have not even worn off, and it's been weeks since the transformation. Now, every CD I play makes me feel like I'm at Carnegie Hall and, coincidentally, I'm wearing those shirts that need cufflinks a bit more often than I used to.

Can't we just invest one second to say good morning to a neighbor?

But every once in a while I do drift into reality and recognize how absurd the whole experience really was. This is what I'm proud of? All three efforts combined took me less than ten minutes! I couldn't find ten lousy minutes in ten years to fix those things?

The ramifications are painfully obvious.

Can we not find just a couple of spare minutes to make that phone call to Grandma and Aunt Sally and Sam, down the block, which is guaranteed to "make their day"?

Can't we "make" time to write "I love you" on a note to our spouses and kids every so often? How long does it take?

And how much time would we need to send an email to a friend who is lonely, or to a teacher to say thanks for the extra attention she gave Sara, or to a caterer just to say his food was great.

And if we're even too busy for that, can't we just invest one second to say good morning to a neighbor, or the mailman, or the sanitation guy?

Nearly all of us procrastinate. And when we do, we deprive not only others, but even ourselves of immense amounts of pleasure and satisfaction. What a waste!

You know very well all about your personal list of little things that can make a big difference.

Featured at Aish.com:

About the Author

Rabbi Yaakov Salomon, C.S.W. is a noted psychotherapist, in private practice in Brooklyn, N.Y. for over 25 years. He is a Senior Lecturer and the Creative Director of Aish Hatorah's Discovery Productions. He is also an editor and author for the Artscroll Publishing Series and a member of the Kollel of Yeshiva Torah Vodaath.

In these marvelous stories -- brimming with wit, understanding, a touch of irony and a large helping of authentic Torah perspective -- we will walk with a renowned and experienced psychotherapist and popular author through the pathways of contemporary life: its crowded sidewalks, its pedestrian malls, and the occasional dead end street. This is a walk through our lives that will be fun, entertaining -- and eye-opening. In our full -- sometimes overfull -- and complex lives, Yaakov Salomon is a welcome and much-needed voice of sanity and reason.

His speaking, writing and musical talents have delighted audiences from Harvard to Broadway and everything in between. Rabbi Salomon shares his life with his wife, Temmy, and their unpredictable family.

Visitor Comments: 45

(43)
Anonymous,
February 24, 2014 8:33 PM

Gaelic gladiators?

Didn't know there were gladiators in the Gaelic era. Thought it was a Roman thing. As a matter of fact, didn't know there was a Gaelic era per se. Maybe you mean Gaul, wihch was France's maiden name when it was under Roman domination?Great article!

(42)
Anonymous,
February 24, 2014 4:07 AM

Clutter

How many "little" things do we procrastinate and one day realize that we've got a whole collection of them !

(41)
Matt Lake,
February 24, 2014 3:14 AM

integrity of a man

If a man says he will do something, he'll do it.You don't have to remind him every six months.

(40)
Mary,
February 23, 2014 7:06 PM

Cuff Links

WOW-I needed this.I have that repair "Bucket List: also. I will start on it TODAY. My small treasures need LIFE again. Thank you.

(39)
Jonathan Shopiro,
March 1, 2013 3:38 AM

the story and the moral

It's interesting that the actions that the rabbi is so pleased and proud of were ones that improved his own physical environment and yet his conclusion is that we should work harder to help the emotional state of the people around us.

(38)
chav,
February 28, 2013 3:46 PM

Rabbi Salomon, I love your videos and articles. I fault you not for leaving undone your blinds and cufflinks; these are olam hazeh projects. You write in your article that we should take the time to greet and appreciate; these are olam habah pursuits, which I am somehow quite certain that you do without fail. Let me guess that someone like you (or me, for that matter) finds little achievement in fixing the mundane. Maybe we are just too attuned to the things that are truly meaningful in life. Sometimes attending to ten minutes of the mundane is an excruciating effort. For me, I will continue to greet and appreciate, and leave the fixing to those who find meaning - and livelihood - in it. :D

(37)
Moshe Rosen,
January 16, 2009 8:24 PM

reminders and avoiding procrastination

It's important to keep on top of my priorities and not procrastinate on simple, but important things in one's lifestyle.
At least one aspect of procrastination that I ought to work more on is going to the gym and finding the time for it, as opposed to holding it off for another day - I just have to proactively pack a gym bag to go. After all, it is a mitzvah to take care of your body, health, and wellness...Now, are impatient people less likely to procrastinate themselves? All in all, it's a matter of keeping our priorities promptly in check. Hopefully it wouldn't lead us to too little to do in so much time.

(36)
Anonymous,
January 14, 2009 5:56 PM

Go9ing to do it now

Well, I have been duly confronted. Going to start doing those things I have put off soon as I get off the computer. Must say it is nice to know I have company in procrastination, but better to know that there are people who don't procrastinate or nothing would ever get done.

(35)
Leibel ben Yitzchak,
January 13, 2009 8:17 PM

"Who Here Wants to be a Writer?"

A story that made the rounds in journalism school circa 1976:
A world-renowned writer was invited to address English majors at an East Coast college. For weeks before the event, anticipation mounted. Tickets to the great man's speech were snatched up in a matter of hours.
Finally, the hour of the wondrous speech arrived. After a lengthy introduction by the dean of students, the famous author mounted the podium to the accompaniment of a roaring ovation.
From behind the lecturn, he peered over his glasses and took a long, slow look across the auditorium.
"Who here wants to be a writer?" he asked.
Virtually everyone in the audience raised a hand.
"Then go home and write!" he said and stepped down from the lecturn, having delivered his entire speech in two sentences.

Dolan Brinson,
August 27, 2013 12:44 AM

On your "Who wants to be a writer?" e-mail

Thank you.......very much !

(34)
Shells,
August 9, 2007 3:54 PM

procrastination is my middle name!

my house has a lot of unfinished projects in it and my husband will tell you I nag him about it whenever I feel ratty. the truth is though that as a team, we are both perfectionists and this is sometimes why we procrastinate. on the flip side although I've been known to say that our house is a constant mess... my husband has always told me it isn't a mess, it looks lived in and I love him for saying and teaching me this phrase which I tell my guests now without apologising. we live out of our house most of the time when we can - preferring to do what the children want or need to do or to go places where we know we can have more fun. what we are trying to do now is find ways of involving other like minded friends and family as we are often very insular. where I live though I am very blessed because my neighbours are like my extended family because we share and help each other when we can and our children all play out in the street. we even know the name of our postlady and my next door neighbour always gives the dustbin men cola when they do the weekly collection!

(33)
Anonymous,
April 4, 2007 10:10 PM

What an excellent article!

Just a pleasure to read. So real!

(32)
Carole Binder,
March 25, 2007 5:18 PM

THANK YOU Rabbi Salomon!!!!

I have always tended to be a procrastinator and what makes it worse is that both my husband and I are collectors. Some of our collections are worthy of being called that and others...well, need I say more!! So then Rabbi, you have motivated me to do what the young say..."Get Busy!!!" Shalom and once again...Thank you.

(31)
Elly Rosenbaum,
February 21, 2007 9:29 PM

amidst the applause

While the article is very well written and has touched many people at their core for relating to themselves, one woman even has her own Aunt Sally she needs to call, I find difficulty in your solution. While it took thousands of words defining and expounding the many areas in life this problem can affect, it took but a couple of sentences to solve! "What are you waiting for? Just open your ears." It just isn't that simple. Rather, to help people just a tad more, maybe advice with some tips to be more efficient with their time mgmt or some tools for being more productive would be helpful. The epiphany that you went through happens all the time, every 6 months or so I will accomplish 2 or 3 errands in one day that has been on the shelf forever and you feel great about it, and the next time you have that inspiration is in 12 years from now. "Opening ears", might help but who has the time?

SEVERAL DECADES AGO, I WOULD GIVE OUT PAGES WITH A CIRCLE DRAWN ON EACH ONE, EXPLAINING THAT WE ALL SAID 'WE WOULD DO IT WHEN WE GOT AROUND TO IT'...SO NOW EACH PERSON WOULD HAVE A 'ROUND TUIT' AND NO MORE EXCUSES

SO DRAW YOURSELF A 'ROUND TUIT' AND YOU'LL BE FINE...

THANK YOU FOR THE ARTICLE

(28)
ed grant,
February 20, 2007 5:46 PM

I love things that cause me to think and/or re-think

(27)
leona,
February 20, 2007 2:32 PM

thank you

I watch your videos and I just read your article "I'll do it tomorrow". I heard your voice in the words. I really like your down to earth sermons(?). I will continue to appreciate you.Leona

(26)
Izzy,
February 20, 2007 2:19 PM

Therapy

This gets to the heart of many peoples little problems.They spend 10's of thousands of Dollars(Euros,Shekels) going to a therapist discussing the things they keep procrastinating.As soon as they get over the problem, they are able to move on in their life

(25)
Anonymous,
February 20, 2007 1:13 PM

Cute and inspiring

Thank you for your sense of humor and your enjoyable and inspiring article!

(24)
jacqueline,
February 20, 2007 11:38 AM

thankyou for this oh so human article

gosh what a darling article.Phew and I thought I was the only one to do that kind of thing!!!!!!!! but, gosh even psychiatrists do it too (laugh)

(23)
Eliezer,
February 20, 2007 9:57 AM

New software to the rescue?

A very important point, R' Salomon, which, unfotunately, I can relate to all too intimately. My friend is actually developing time-management software specifically designed for the procrastinators among us (all of us?). Go to skoach.com/betaTesting.html for details. You'll be glad you did. As you can see, I didn't procrastinate in writing this comment :-)

(22)
Mr Zaiger,
February 19, 2007 6:39 PM

Some time ago, you wrote that even a broken clock was correct twice a day- only it wasn't. Did you get to fixing that clock yet ??Your fan club is kinda curious....Mishanichnas Adar.....

(21)
TZIPPY,
February 19, 2007 3:52 PM

... JUST WHAT I NEEDED TO HEAR AND NOW FIRST THING I'M DOING ABOUT IT IS LETTING YOU KNOW ITS REALLY GREAT!!!

(20)
Batya,
February 19, 2007 2:45 PM

Thank you

Thank you Rabbi Salomon - This is a very important lesson to remember, and written very well. I'll try to keep reminding myself...

(19)
Shulamis,
February 19, 2007 2:16 PM

please fix it, mommy...

Thank you for the article. I actually have a four-year-old son who keeps reminding me about fixing everything which breaks (he knows taty - his father - is not into fixing things...) and he is so persistent that I just cannot put things off for very long. And since we moved to Israel not too long ago I am mending something or the other nearly every day (I just have the feeling that things tend to break more easily here than back in Europe...)

(18)
shoshanna,
February 19, 2007 1:41 PM

the month of simcha begins with suggestions you can follow

simple is extraordinary .... just clean out one draw at a time.....

(17)
gitty schonbrun,
February 19, 2007 12:49 PM

the story of my life

I can't believe how much I related to this article. Thank you Rabby Salomon for so aptly and humorously describing the way lots of us manage to put off what needs to be done. We love reading your articles.

(16)
Miriam,
February 19, 2007 11:35 AM

Great Article

As a life-long procrastinator, this article spoke volumes to me. I enjoyed it immensely, and I'm even sending a thank you comment right away!! Now, I'm going to call my Mom!!Then laundry, wow, I'm on a roll.

Thanks for the push in the right direction.

Miriam

(15)
Anonymous,
February 19, 2007 1:59 AM

Sieze the moment

Two stories. Our postman is out on medical leave due to surgery. I've known he has been out for some time but never did anything except inquire about him to the new postal person. Finally, last week I sat my kids down and had them decorate home made get well cards for him. They were so excited and boy, did we all feel good about sending him cards. Second story: My 5 year old son has taken on the mitzvah of making sure the men of our sanitation department always have bottled drinks waiting for them on Wednesdays. One Wednesday, as we were leaving to take the older kids to school, he reminded me that he has to put the drinks out. I was in a hurry and told him we would be home in time to put them out. Unfortunately, this didn't happen and I felt terrible that I prevented this sweet child from fulfilling this mitzvah just because I didn't want to take the time. We now put the drinks out first thing in the morning, just to be sure. By the way, we are the only ones on the block who get our trash cans delivered back up our driveway, with the lids on the right cans!

Thanks for the reminder to run for those mitzvos. Now, if I can only get that 15 year old unfinished bureau in my bedroom painted, I'd really be stylin'!

Ra'anan,
February 23, 2014 9:41 PM

drinks for the sanitation folk???

You are good!!!

(14)
A,
February 18, 2007 8:05 PM

'de nile' is not a river in Egypt

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha...procrastination isn't funny, but it sure helps to laugh at ourselves once in a while!

(13)
lisa klein,
February 18, 2007 6:20 PM

I am taking a few minutes to say gr8 article!!!!!!

Why do I like this article? Because I actually have an Aunt Sally and I really should call her!!!!! And you are right...sometimes the nicest things we do actually only take a few minutes!!!! I really love your articles/movies...thank you SO much for the chizuk you give over.

Wishing you & your family a good chodesh....L Klein - Atlanta Ga.

(12)
Michael Miramontes,
February 18, 2007 4:48 PM

procrastination

Procrastination brings so much sorrow, but I can stop it anytime, in fact, I'll do it tomorrow!

(11)
Mary E. Dow,
February 18, 2007 4:20 PM

procrastination

Thanks for the tip . . . it already has made a difference. I sent on this article without putting it off!

(10)
Jeff Barnes,
February 18, 2007 3:49 PM

the root of laziness is sin

I enjoyed your story. And the message is clear; laziness is a sin. You won't have to search far in the Mishlei to find that one out. IMHO, When we excuse laziness what we're really doing is "our own thing" , not staying on the "old pathways".

(9)
Shalom Terris,
February 18, 2007 3:24 PM

great article

Yaakov, Great insight! Thank you, for writing this article. I also thank you for many of your other articles that I never got around to thanking about. You see how I'm growing?Be well and Gut Chodesh,Shalom Terris (Steve to you)

(8)
Jerry Farris,
February 18, 2007 3:23 PM

So familiar a story; so shared a thought!

Reading RabbiSalomon's article caused me to grin as it reminded me of many procrastinations of my own making. How true the ease with which we put off until another day (which seemingly never comes) that which would have taken no time at all to remedy.Thanks Rabbi for the reminder!

(7)
Sandra,
February 18, 2007 9:28 AM

this happens to everyone

I smiled the whole time I've read the article...it is funny and recognizeble.I think this happens to everyone. (well allmost)

(6)
Elka,
February 18, 2007 8:56 AM

Please translate this into Hebrew so I can show my husband

This is so so true. I think it is a mens thing.

(5)
Anonymous,
February 18, 2007 8:45 AM

Wow!!

Rabbi Solomon must be staring through my window every day - how did he know what goes on in my house?!?

Thanks for the timely reminder. And on that note, thanks to Aish.com for the amazing articles!

(4)
Yossie,
February 18, 2007 8:29 AM

It's time to MAKE time!

Rabbi Salomon,as always, has driven the point home n a light hearted, humourous way. Now how did you know that cufflinks are my "million dollar babies"? I think that all of us can start taking action today by picking up our (cel) phones and using them for a really good purpose by calling our parents/family and wishing them a good day.thank you once again Rabbi.

(3)
Anonymous,
February 18, 2007 6:40 AM

singing my life with your words

As Aretha Franklin sang oh so many years ago.... We all have those cufflinks, those blinds, and, more importantly, those Aunt Sarahs and neighbors and so on. Today, bli neder, I will try to take those two minute periods and do something useful, something revolutionary, something kind. Thanks for the timely reminder, and for helping me to remember that I can feel that absurd feeling of accomplishment when I do use them right!

(2)
David,
February 18, 2007 6:31 AM

I can relate...

I love this story. Hilarious!! What's so funny is that I do/have done the same thing. I love the description of the cufflinks, "Don't you like me anymore?". I"m still laughing! Thank you Rabbi Salomon for being so humerous, candid, and honest. I'm sitting here wondering what I've been procrastinating for 10 years! Thank you very much, Rabbi!!

I live in rural Montana where the Cholov Yisrael milk is difficult to obtain and very expensive. So I drink regular milk. What is your view on this?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Jewish law requires that there be rabbinic supervision during the milking process to ensure that the milk comes from a kosher animal. In the United States, many people rely on the Department of Agriculture's regulations and controls as sufficiently stringent to fulfill the rabbinic requirement for supervision.

Most of the major Kashrut organizations in the United States rely on this as well. You will therefore find many kosher products in America certified with a 'D' next to the kosher symbol. Such products – unless otherwise specified on the label – are not Cholov Yisrael and are assumed kosher based on the DOA's guarantee.

There are many, however, do not rely on this, and will eat only dairy products that are designated as Cholov Yisrael (literally, "Jewish milk"). This is particularly true in large Jewish communities, where Cholov Yisrael is widely available.

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein wrote that under limited conditions, such as an institution which consumes a lot of milk and Cholov Yisrael is generally unavailable or especially expensive, American milk is acceptable, as the government supervision is adequate to prevent non-kosher ingredients from being added.

It should be added that the above only applies to milk itself, which is marketed as pure cow's milk. All other dairy products, such as cheeses and butter, may contain non-kosher ingredients and always require kosher certification. In addition, Rabbi Feinstein's ruling applies only in the United States, where government regulations are considered reliable. In other parts of the world, including Europe, Cholov Yisrael is a requirement.

There are additional esoteric reasons for being stringent regarding Cholov Yisrael, and because of this it is generally advisable to consume only Cholov Yisroel dairy foods.

In 1889, 800 Jews arrived in Buenos Aires, marking the birth of the modern Jewish community in Argentina. These immigrants were fleeing poverty and pogroms in Russia, and moved to Argentina because of its open door policy of immigration. By 1920, more than 150,000 Jews were living in Argentina. Juan Peron's rise to power in 1946 was an ominous sign, as he was a Nazi sympathizer with fascist leanings. Peron halted Jewish immigration to Argentina, introduced mandatory Catholic religious instruction in public schools, and allowed Argentina to become a haven for fleeing Nazis. (In 1960, Israeli agents abducted Adolf Eichmann from a Buenos Aires suburb.) Today, Argentina has the largest Jewish community in Latin America with 250,000, though terror attacks have prompted many young people to emigrate. In 1992, the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires was bombed, killing 32 people. In 1994, the Jewish community headquarters in Buenos Aires was bombed, killing 85 people. The perpetrators have never been apprehended.

Be aware of what situations and behaviors give you pleasure. When you feel excessively sad and cannot change your attitude, make a conscious effort to take some action that might alleviate your sadness.

If you anticipate feeling sad, prepare a list of things that might make you feel better. It could be talking to a specific enthusiastic individual, running, taking a walk in a quiet area, looking at pictures of family, listening to music, or reading inspiring words.

While our attitude is a major factor in sadness, lack of positive external situations and events play an important role in how we feel.

[If a criminal has been executed by hanging] his body may not remain suspended overnight ... because it is an insult to God (Deuteronomy 21:23).

Rashi explains that since man was created in the image of God, anything that disparages man is disparaging God as well.

Chilul Hashem, bringing disgrace to the Divine Name, is one of the greatest sins in the Torah. The opposite of chilul Hashem is kiddush Hashem, sanctifying the Divine Name. While this topic has several dimensions to it, there is a living kiddush Hashem which occurs when a Jew behaves in a manner that merits the respect and admiration of other people, who thereby respect the Torah of Israel.

What is chilul Hashem? One Talmudic author stated, "It is when I buy meat from the butcher and delay paying him" (Yoma 86a). To cause someone to say that a Torah scholar is anything less than scrupulous in meeting his obligations is to cause people to lose respect for the Torah.

Suppose someone offers us a business deal of questionable legality. Is the personal gain worth the possible dishonor that we bring not only upon ourselves, but on our nation? If our personal reputation is ours to handle in whatever way we please, shouldn't we handle the reputation of our nation and the God we represent with maximum care?

Jews have given so much, even their lives, for kiddush Hashem. Can we not forego a few dollars to avoid chilul Hashem?

Today I shall...

be scrupulous in all my transactions and relationships to avoid the possibility of bringing dishonor to my God and people.

With stories and insights,
Rabbi Twerski's new book Twerski on Machzor makes Rosh Hashanah prayers more meaningful. Click here to order...